The
May 28, 2014 Latin American Art auction at Christie's New York is
highlighted by several good works by Botero, an excellent
Torres-Garcia, a fine Siqueiros, a good Tamayo, an impressive Reveron
self-portrait, an amusing Iturria, an exquisite de Amaral, and
a
jaunty Figari.

The
sale total was $17,614,500 with 76 percent of the 245 offered lots
selling.

The
back-cover lot of the catalogue was Lot 11, "Man Going to Work," by
Fernando Botero (b. 1932), shown at the top of this article.
An
oil on canvas, it measures 74 inches square and was executed
in
1969. It has been widely published. It has an
estimate of
$1,200,000 to $1,800,000. It sold for
$1,445,000 including the buyer's premium as do all results mentioned in
this article.

Lot 153 is an
amusing sepia and ink on paper of "Devil" holding a devil doll by
Botero. It measures 9 1/4by 8 inches and was drawn in 1971.
It has a modest estimate of $12,000 to $18,000. It failed to sell.

Lot 75 is a good
pastel and chalk self-portraint on paper laid down on wood by Armando
Reveron (1889-1954). It measures 24 3/4 by 19 inches and was
painted in 1947. It has an estimate of $120,000 to $180,000. It failed to sell.

Lot
102 is a good oil and sand on canvas by Rufino Tamayo ()1899-1991)
entitled "The Frog." It measures 23 38 by 20 inches and was
painted in 1946. It has an estimate of $400,000 to $600,000. It sold for $605,000.

Lot
148 is another Tamayo entitled "Dialogue" that was being sold by the
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, which has been deaccessioning many
Tamayos in recent years. This oil and marble dust on canvas
meausres 51 1/2 by 75 inches and was painted in 1974. It had
been widely published and exhibited and had an estimate of $400,000 to
$600,000. It
sold for $845,000.

The
cover illustration of the auction catalogue is Lot 56, "Composition
TSF," by Joaquin Torres-Garcia (1874-1949). An oil on canvas,
it
measures 36 1/8 by 23 1/2 inches and was executed in 1931.
The
artist's pictographs and grids became "a new paradigm for Latin
American abstraction," according to the catalogue. The lot
has an
estimate of $1,000,000 to $1,500,000. It sold
for $1,565,000.

Another
work by Torres-Garcia is Lot 60, "Barcos metafisico sobre fondo verde,"
an oil on cardboard that measures 16 3/4 by 20 inches. It was
painted in 1943 and was been widely published and exhibited.
It has an estimate of $80,000 to $120,000. It sold for $118,500.

Lot
189 is a very fine, untitled, white Carrara marble abstract sculpture
by Pablo Atchugarry (b. 1954). It is 58 1/2 inches high and
was created in 2012. It has an estimate of $80,000 to
$120,000. It
sold for $106,500.

Lot
26 is another good sculpture by Atchugarry, this time a bit more
curved. The untitled white Carrara marble statue measures 22
by
15 by 12 inches and was created in 2012. It has an estimate
of $40,000 to $60,000. It
sold for $52,500.

Lot 121 is an oil and tempera
on canvas by Leonora Carrington (1917-2011) entitled "The Hunt."
It measures 15 by 39 3/8 inches and was painted in
1962. It has an estimate of $120,000 to $180,000. It
sold for $173,000.

Lot
74 is a good oil on board by Pedro Figari (1861-1936) entitlted "Al
Bautismo de paseo." It measures 11 7/8 by 31 3/8 inches and
was painted in 1932. It has an estimate of $50,000 to
$70,000. It
sold for $52,500.

Lot 174 is an impressive oil
and alkyd on canvas by Guillermo Munoz Vera (b. 1956) entitled "El
Taller." It meaures 118 by 92 1/2 inches and was painted in
2000. It has an estimate of $50,000 to $70,000. It
failed to sell.

Lot
53 is tonally unusual work by Matta (1911-2002) entitled "Le mouse."
An oil
on paper laid down on canvas, the brownish painting measures 19 1/4 by
35 1/8 inches. It has an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000.
It failed to
sell.

Lot
245 is a very good untitlted oil on canvas by Francisco Mejia-Guimand
(b. 1964). It meaures 29 3/8 by 59 1/4 inches and was painted
in 1980. It has an estimate of $12,000 to $18,000. It sold for $17,500.

One
of the auction's more striking paintings is Lot 246, "Desplazamiento,"
by Pedro Ruiz ((b. 1957). An oil on canvas, it measures 40 by
59 1/2 inches and was painted in 2012. It has an estimate of
$15,000 to $20,000. It
sold for $32,500.

One of the auction's most
impressive paintings is Lot 176, "Vida atada,"by Luis Armando Zesatti
(b. 1967). It measures 51 1/4 by 76 3/4 inches and was
painted in 2006. It has an estimate of $35,000 to $45,000. It sold for $47,500.

Lot 68 is a handsome abstract
acrylic on canvas by Omar Rayo (1928-2010) entitled "Kogui II."
It measures 20 by 26 inches and was painted in 1970.
It has an estimate of $20,000 to $25,000. It sold for $32,500.

Lot 151 is a very large and
impressive acrylic on canvas by Fernando de Szyszlo (b. 1925). It is
entitled "Mar de Luria and measures 30 3/4 by 157 1/4 inches.
It was painted in 1990. It has an estimate of
$80,000 to $120,000. It
sold for $87,500.

Lot 160 is an acrylic on
canvas entitled "El Reto," by Tomas Sanchez (b.1948). It
meaures 59 3/8 by 47 3/4 inches. It was painted in 2001.
It has an estimate of $180,000 to $220,000 It sold
for $185,000.

One
of the more intriguing sculptures in the auction is Lot 225,
"Palindromo incesto,"by Tunga (b. 1952), It measures 28 1/2
by 82 3/4 by 50 7/8 inches and was created 1992-2002. It
relates to a Nordic myth about Siamese twins who were joined by hair
and sacrificed at puberty and the scavenged scalp was taken as a trophy
by a woman who embroidered an image and the hair turned to metal and
then gold, according to the catalogue. It has an estimate of
$40,000 to $60,000. It
sold for $149,000.

Lot 218 is a very fine
abstract stainless steel sculpture by Leon Ferrari (1920-2013).
Entitled "Estructura geometrica," it is 4 of an edition of 20
and was created in 1983. It has an estimate of $12,000 to $18,000.
It sold for
$11,875.

Lot
42, Untitled, by Agustin Cardenas, wood, 21 1/4 inches high

Lot
42 is a fine untitled wood sculpture by Agustin Cardenas (1927-2001).
It is 21 1/4 inches high. It has an estimate of
$25,000 to
$30,000. It
sold for $50,000.

Lot 159 is a quite striking
bronze sculpture in four parts on a marble base, entitled "Genesis," by
Jorge Jimenez Deredia (b. 1954). It measures 15 by 72 3/4 by
13 3/8 and is 2 of an edition of 8. It was created in 2005.
It has an estimate of $50,000 to $70,000. It sold for $50,000.